1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automated oil servicing equipment and more particularly, relates to utility equipment to automatically service oil wells and increase well servicing efficiency.
2. Background Information
It was not long ago that service rigs, for oil wells, required a crew of four to set-up and service the well. However, with the advent of tube and rod tongs, the crew was reduced to three.
The typical oil rig servicing system requires a rig operator who runs the hoisting operation and also the slips and tongs. A floor man handles the tubes that are being hoisted and placed in a racking board. A third workman, called a "derrick man", on a platform, racks the tubulars in the racking board.
In the oil rig servicing environment, accidents are frequent enough to be costly and significantly damage the public image of the oil industry. These factors have lead to the increasing desire to create automated systems for servicing oil wells.
Over the years there have been a number of attempts at automation. One such attempt was a completely automated drilling rig built by a company called Automatic Drilling Machine (ADM) in the late 1960's that was considered somewhat successful. Improved models of this drilling rig, however, did not have any success. Another attempt at automation is described in the October 1987 issue of Off Shore Magazine on Pg. 53. The article describes a new pipe handling unit and drilling tower. The robotic pipe handling unit was developed by a company called Tempco Drilling Products. The robotic pipe handling unit moves pipe to and from a finger board and rotary without human intervention. The robot is rail mounted to a drill floor and not connected to a derrick, which presumably is supposed to provide greater safety. A computer, positioned away from the drill floor, assists in controlling the unit. A control console is positioned at a driller's station. The machine is in the form of a tower with a hydraulic hoist machine which is supposedly easier to install than conventional derricks and is constructed to move pipe to and from a racking board. However, the success with the unit has not been achieved.
Another system is described in the July 1987 issue of Drilling Contractor and was developed by Varco International, Inc. Supposedly, the unit enables a single operator to execute all the pipe tripping functions from the floor to the monkey port. The unit consisted of a built-in stand make-up and break-up, which was supposed to eliminate equipment so an individual could perform these tasks. In operation, the operator supposedly could control each function manually using an observed position, or let automatic sequences take over with the unit controlled by its own microprocessor. To-date, this system has not been entirely successful.
An automated well servicing and drilling rig was disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,006 of Hutchinson et al issued May 27, 1986 and owned by Chevron Research Company of San Francisco, Calif. However, this machine was never successful. It included a device that had a transfer system to transfer tubulars from a horizontal racking system for lowering or extracting tubulars from a well. The system included storage means, conveying and elevating individual elongated well elements such as pipe, tubing and rods from a storage position into a position with alignment with well bore. The system also included automated tongs for connecting and disconnecting well tubulars from a string within a well bore, and an automatic gripper in the form of slips to prevent longitudinal movement of the string. Automatic centralizing means were included for positioning the well elements with respect to the centerline of the well bore. The system was designed so that the overall apparatus could be stored on a mobile rig to be transportable, as a unit, from one well head to another.
It is therefore, one object of the present invention to provide an automated oil well servicing rig.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automated oil well servicing rig having a remotely controlled racking system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automated oil rigging system comprised of automated tongs for making and breaking pipes, rods and tubulars.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automated well servicing rig system having a remotely controlled robot for racking pipes and rods.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an oil well servicing rig that includes a remote controlled robot on a racking board some 25 feet above ground for remotely racking tubulars.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automated well servicing rig known as an "Auto-rig" that includes an automated tong/slip assembly permanently mounted on the rig to handle pipe and rods.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automated oil well servicing rig that allows the rig operator to run the hoisting operation as well as the slips and tongs. The tongs are automatically operated and require a minimum of the rig operator's attention, which permits the operator to concentrate on the hoisting operation.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automated oil well servicing rig that allows a floor man to handle pipes and rods by a remote control unit mounted around the floor man's waist.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automated oil well rigging system that includes a robotic racking system remotely operated by the floor man.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automated oil well servicing rig that automatically makes and breaks rod and tube connections reducing the possibility of accidents.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automated oil well servicing rig that includes a robotic racking machine on a platform that automatically racks pipes and rods on the racking board.